1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a card type device having a fingerprint reading function and a fingerprint identification system using the card type device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Very recently, since electronic appliances are gradually utilized in the network form, communications are freely established among these electronic appliances connected to each other via networks, so that various sorts of information thereof may be accessed everywhere. In connection with such a network operation, needs of security aspects capable of preventing illegal accesses made by third party are increased.
As one of such security techniques, a method capable of identifying a regular user by checking a fingerprint has been proposed, and a fingerprint reading sensor is provided on a PC card. When a user depresses his finger on a fingerprint sensor of such a PC card, a fingerprint of this finger is acquired. Then, user identification is carried out based upon this acquired fingerprint, so that an access to such an information having high secrecy may be controlled.
Such a PC card may have the following structure. That is, a fingerprint reading sensor constructed of a CCD (charge-coupled device) is provided on a surface of this PC card itself. Alternatively, a fingerprint reading unit is mounted on any position except for an insertion portion of the PC card.
However, if the fingerprint reading sensor is provided on the surface of the PC card, then the following problem may occur. That is, when this PC card is loaded on a card slot of an electronic appliance, the fingerprint reading sensor is located inside the card slot, so that the user cannot be identified by operating this fingerprint reading sensor under such a condition that this PC card is loaded on the electronic appliance. Also, if the fingerprint sensor is provided on any position other than the PC card insertion portion, then another problem may occur. That is, when this PC card is loaded in the PC card slot, since this PC card is largely projected out from the PC card slot, the PC card equipped with such a fingerprint reading sensor can be hardly carried while this PC card is continuously loaded on the electronic appliance.
On the other hand, both the fingerprint reading sensors are manufactured in plane rectangular shapes on which the finger can be mounted. Since these fingerprint reading sensors employ such expensive semiconductor devices as a CCD, higher cost is required. Furthermore, since two-dimensional CCD chips necessarily require mounting areas thereof, fingerprint reading sensors cannot be provided with microminiture type memory cards which are known as a CF card (Compact Flash Card), an SD memory card (Secure Digital Memory Card), an MMC card (Multi-Media Card), and a USB-connection portable type flash memory card. These memory cards are used as extended memories employed in a portable telephone and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance). As a result, information stored in these memory cards cannot be protected by utilizing the fingerprint identification. Moreover, the fingerprint identification functions cannot be extended to the portable telephone and the PDA by way of such memory cards.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and therefore, has an object to provide a microminiture card type device on which a fingerprint reading sensor is mounted, and also to provide an identification system using this card type device.